“What a great joy it is that you are finally back!”
“Thanks be to God that you have returned home to us in Mulgoa!”
“We have been praying for you continuously and are pleased to have you back!”
“I look forward to seeing you around and experiencing your passion for Schoenstatt!”
These are just some of the positive comments that Sr. M. Rita Baysari received on Sunday 22 October when she was welcomed back to Australia after being in Germany for nearly 10 years.
Sr. M. Rita, previously known as Christina Rita Baysari, is a 35-year-old Sydneysider with a Maronite-Lebanese background. After being heavily involved in her local parish of St Margaret Mary’s, Merrylands, working as a teacher at Greystanes High School and participating in the various youth events in Schoenstatt, she decided to enter the community of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary. In 2014, she moved to Germany (the place of Schoenstatt’s origin) to begin her formation journey and on 6 September 2015, gave her ‘yes’ of love to God’s calling! This was the day that she first put on the sisters’ dress and took on the name of Sr. M. Rita.
On 22 October, the Schoenstatt Movement in Mulgoa celebrated Schoenstatt’s Foundation Day (18 October) and the welcoming back of Sr. M. Rita. To celebrate both these joyful occasions, Fr Pawel Barszczewski OP, Assistant Priest at St Joseph’s Parish, Kingswood, celebrated Mass in the Family Hall in Mulgoa which was so full that some of the congregation had to participate outside! Following Mass, there was a short renewal of the Covenant of Love in the shrine for those who were unable to stay for the afternoon. Afterwards, the Schoenstatt community gathered and shared together a delicious lunch with a very special dessert being a birthday cake to commemorate the 109th birthday of Schoenstatt!
Sr M Rita Baysari (left), Fr Pawel Barszczewski OP (centre) and community members cut a celebratory cake to mark the 109th birthday of the Schoenstatt Movement at Mulgoa. Image: Supplied
Sr. M. Rita then gave a testimony and was able to share some photos of her experiences during the nine and half years that she was in Germany. Through her statement, Sr. M. Rita impressed upon the audience that the aspect that helped her the most during her vocation journey was the Covenant of Love with the Mother Thrice Admirable, that the Blessed Mother was going along with her every step of the way, and that she could always find her in the shrine. She was impressed with the freedom that the founder stressed upon each of the members of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary and that the personal happiness and holiness of each of the members was of the highest priority in all stages of formation.
Outside the periods of her formation, Sr. M. Rita was working for the Pilgrim Mother Apostolate and the English Office in Germany. The Pilgrim Mother Apostolate is a Schoenstatt initiative where an image of the Blessed Mother travels throughout a group of families each month. Through the English Office, Sr. M. Rita was able to welcome and show the English-speaking pilgrims around in Schoenstatt, Germany. She testified “that although it was at first difficult to adjust to a new country and language my time in the Original Schoenstatt in Germany was such a rewarding and fulfilling experience.”
Sr M Rita Baysari (third left) with her family during her time in Germany. Image: Supplied
After gathering many experiences in the International Schoenstatt Movement, Sr. M. Rita is now finally back in Australia to continue to spread and develop the Schoenstatt Mission in Australia – to form the new person in the new community. Or more precisely to become and help form little Mary’s for today’s world. “I am excited to meet, encounter and serve the youth and young adults of Sydney and to go along with them on their own personal journeys of love,“ she said.
The international apostolic Marian movement of Schoenstatt was founded on 18 October 1914, in a small shrine in Germany by Fr Joseph Kentenich. The founding event was the Covenant of Love which was sealed between the Mother Thrice Admirable of Schoenstatt and the founder. The Schoenstatt shrine along with the Blessed Mother and the founder are the centre point of the now worldwide Schoenstatt movement. There are over 200 replicas of the Original Shrine present in all continents of the world. Here in Australia, there are two Schoenstatt shrines: one in Mulgoa, Sydney and the second in Mount Richon, Perth.
Sr M Rita is organising a gathering for young women aged 16 and over at the Mulgoa Shrine on Sunday 10 December from 2pm to 6pm. You can RSVP via the Facebook event or reach out to Sr M Rita on srrita@schoenstatt.org.au.
You are also invited to the Mt Shoenstatt carols on Saturday 16 December from 7.30pm. Contact the Shrine on (02) 4773 8338 or bookings@schoenstatt.org.au for more information.
For more information, visit the Australian Schoenstatt website: schoenstatt.org.au or the international website: schoenstatt.com
